Mystic to Block Island

Margot’s welcoming flower arrangement.

 

We stayed overnight in Mystic with Tim’s sister Margot,

and her husband Peter (and dog Champ) and daughter Mallory (not pictured).

We caught up on family news and talked about Peter’s business (Smith-McArdle) in Mystic.

Tim produced pictures of our visit to Larkin relatives in Ohio, so many years ago.

After an excellent breakfast, we hit the road again. . .

Only to stop two miles down the road for a pit stop. Tim decided we had let the tires go too long without a refill. More pressure means less pedal-pushing for greater speed. It also means bumps are harder but that’s the price you pay.

 

He also greased and cleaned the chain—which hadn’t broken in over three days. So far, so good. Take care of that drive train!

 

Back on the road again we passed through Westerly. On the east side of Westerly we started looking for “Sandy’s”—a recommended stop for good treats. Unfortunately our GPS decided we should take a more scenic route (which had been helpful along the way to keep us out of traffic) and by the time we realized what was happening and got back on Route 1 (forget scenic—we just want to get there) we found that we missed it.

Instead we stopped for Rhode Island style clam chowder (no tomato and no cream) and some fried scallops. It was an OK replacement for ice cream—really it was.

And at last we did what we had set out to do. We reached the ferry at Point Judith, in time for the 3:00 ferry to Block Island.

There is something about having worked so hard before arriving at our place of paradise that makes the whole experience that much better.

 

We have arrived safe and sound at the Schneider House and have had a pleasant visit with the owners, Sheila and Jack. We’re looking forward to two weeks walking, riding, reading, taking photographs, and visiting with Tim’s brother Andy and his wife Anneke, who are arriving for a short island visit. I’ll combine the days from time to time and keep you posted. I love to share the joys of Block Island.

Thanks for all your encouragement along the way!

 

Sheila’s roses. There are LOTS of roses in bloom right now on Block Island.

A Room With a View

This is what I see from our porch at the Thompson House, if I tilt my head extremely to the right.

We took the wheel from our trailer to Windham Mountain Outfitters to have the bearings serviced. On the way the main chain broke, again. I got to use my new chain breaking tool, which was way fun.

Otherwise, my legs were engaged in resting. They did this intensely most of the day.

 

 

A couple of people who moved from the North East to drier climes have commented on the amount of green in the outdoor pictures. We have a lot of water up here. In fact, we have such an abundance that it spontaneously falls from the sky. Sometimes we even have too much, and houses and towns get washed away. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that God loves the North East more than he loves the rest of the country. Probably because we have fewer mega-churches.

Bike repair

We’re waiting at Berlin Bicycle for some work to be done on the drive train.

I first became aware of the problem yesterday when the chain slipped off the main chain ring while we were speeding up a hill. If my awareness had been as aware as it ought to have been, I would have been aware of the problem before we left home. Which goes to show that sometimes it ought to be fixed, even if it’s not broken.

The main drive chain is seriously stretched, so that the links don’t engage the gear teeth as they should. This means that the chain and the freewheel cluster have to be replaced. The mechanic also found that the rear hub was loose.

The bike shop where we first stopped, in Avon, didn’t have time for us. The shop here made time for us. We are much obliged to Bruce Miller for being so ready & willing to help us.

– Posted from my iPhone

Location:Main St,East Berlin,United States